Dubai!!!!

I was originally going to do a post about the relationship my favorite store and I have, but then I started talking about a trip I took a few months ago while at work today and I just couldn't stop about it. So here we are and I'm still talking about it.

If you can't tell but the (very) boring title, I went to Dubai!!! It was hands down the best trip I have ever taken in my life. (It was so great I even had to split it into two different posts.)

Before I start talking about the trip itself, I need to give you a little background info. About 7 years ago, my family became super close with our neighbors. Our neighbors, The Dubs as we'll call them for the sake of the blog, had the opportunity to move to United Arab Emirates for a job. Sarah and Seth both grew up traveling the world, so naturally they saw this chance at adventure, packed up their things, and moved the UAE with their three kids.

When I started high school they kept telling me that for my graduation gift they would pay for my flight to Dubai to see them. I always just thought that it was an open ended promise, you know? I never expected it to be true. Then one day in January, Mom gets a Facebook message from Sarah saying that spring would be the best time for us to come and visit them. Next thing I know, I'm getting my passport and March 27th we were officially jet-setters.

We were toooooo excited. 

Naturally, I needed to take a selfie.

You could ask anyone I had any kind of contact with from January to March, I was so so soooo excited for that moment to finally happen. The flight was a draining 14 hours long with an 8 hour time difference from home and Dubai.

I couldn't begin to tell you how excited I was to finally see this. 

Day 1 // Pool day

   The first day we were there was just a chill out day to deal with jet lag. Noting too exciting. We caught up with our favorite family, lounged by the pool, and tried to accept the (incredible) fact that we were truly there. 

Day 2 // The Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Mall

This was the first "real" day we were there. So naturally, we had to do one of the most touristy (and most amazing) things Dubai has to offer. 

And it was to climb up this monster of a building. 

Ahhh.. The Burj Khalifa. The tallest building in the world. With the tallest open air observation deck. Yep. You were 124 stories in the sky with no ceiling above you. 

Can we just appreciate this view alone for a second?
It shows how diverse of a city this is. 

It may be nice to also  mention, there were still FORTY stories above the observation deck.....

I'm sure by this point you're thinking "Amanda, I would really just like to see the view." Let me just tell you, it's breathtaking. 

(My personal favorite picture)

Those weird shaped islands are The World Islands.
Completely manmade.
And you can buy your very own!
....If you have millions and millions of dollars.... 

Fun fact: an attractive Italian man took this picture. 

After this we went to the Dubai Mall. (The BIGGEST mall in the WORLD). 

You'd think I would have went crazy in this mall but it was just so overwhelming. It had Asian stores, European stores, American Stores. There was an entire part of the mall directed towards only selling shoes. Can you even imagine such a place? It was so hard to take it all in. I just wanted to go into all the stores I'd heard of online, just to say I've been there. So, I left with only one dress... in a mall with everything... one from Banana Republic, a store we have even in Lexington... naturally. 

The mall was just as beautiful as any other part of Dubai and I'm not just talking the abundance of stores. It was legitamently a beautifully crafted building. 

Like I said.... a beautiful building

Worlds Largest single panel aquarium
(They live for "Worlds Largest")

Annnnnd in case you wanna go ice skating while shopping.
You can. 

Something I found interesting was the clothing. I assumed that since I was going to go to the Middle East I was join got have to dress completely conservative. Which isn't necessarily the case for Dubai. It's considered disrespectful to dress with your knees and shoulders showing in certain social situations but others it's completely okay. The mall was place of dress code. 

Annnnnnnnd because I'm a white girl. 

Day 3 // Souk Madinat Jumairah, Jumairah Beach, Burj al Arab

A souk (pronounced sook) is basically like a market. Some of them are open air markets, some are like malls but instead of brands that you know they have all privately owned businesses. They're all over in this area. We went to Souk Madinat Jumairah which was absolutely beautiful. There are places in the that have views of the Burj al Arab!

While we were there, my mother insisted on looking for rugs (which is huge thing in this part of the world) I decided to pretend I was artsy and take a bunch of pictures.

I soooooo wanted to take one of these pretty lanterns home with me.
How cool would this be in an entry way to a house? 

Shoes are always taken seriously. No matter where you are. 

After a rug was (finally) picked out we drove over to the Burj al Arab. It was so cool seeing something you've seen so many pictures of in person. The hotel was beautiful and so was the beach. (Also, shout out to the European couple having an awkward photoshoot right in the middle of the beach.)

Annnnnnnd because this is already a really long post, the rest of my amazing trip will have to be saved for another post.

Until next time,
Amanda Kate